According to the World Health Organization, expanding access to immunization is critical to achieving the country’s goals of sustainable development. Vaccination, in addition to preventing diseases such as influenza, pneumonia, pertussis or measles, as well as the deaths caused by these diseases, facilitates the monitoring of national priorities such as education and livelihoods. For this reason, Sanofi Pasteur has recognized for the past three years the people who support vaccination in the country and who are dedicated to saving lives.

It is estimated immunization prevents between 2 and 3 million deaths per year globally, but if immunization coverage is improved, it could prevent another 1.5 million deaths. Mexico is an example in immunization because, thanks to the implementation of various vaccination campaigns, the country has vaccination coverage of 90% of the population under five years.

Given this background, it was carried out the 3rd Edition of the ‘Vaccinate to Provide Opportunities’, award, which aims to disseminate best practices in immunization and recognize the trajectory of doctors and civil organizations in this field.

The ‘Vaccinate to Provide Opportunities’ award take place since 2015 and has two categories: Professional Trajectory and Best Practices.

This year in the category of Best Practices, the prize was awarded to the Comprehensive Information System on Vaccination (Sistema Integral de Información en Vacunación, SIIVAC), developed by Carlos Slim Foundation.

The goal is expanding health care coverage to ensure universal and effective vaccination through SIIVAC, by allowing registering and accessing on a digital platform the vaccines each child has received to control their coverage.

In addition, the system provides updated, timely and accurate information for epidemiological surveillance by health center, health jurisdiction and state, to implement strategies to complete vaccination schedules and achieve better results against vaccine preventable diseases.

SIIVAC, developed by Carlos Slim Foundation in alliance with Gonzalo Río Arronte Foundation and the Ministry of Health, is part of a project to reengineer the Universal Vaccination Program and is technologically based on Electronic Immunization Records (Cartilla Electrónica de Vacunación, CEV)

Store and update the data of people who are vaccinated throughout the Mexican territory.

Integrate the National Information System in Vaccines.

Have a database on vaccination, which allows consulting the vaccines that each person needs.

Disseminate the vaccination actions carried out nationally.

Provide those responsible in Public Health with information to make the best decisions and increase coverage in vaccination.

Eng. Fernando Rojas, Manager of Technology Innovation, and MSc. Renée Salas, Coordinator of Global Solutions, both at Carlos Slim Foundation, who are responsible for the operation, implementation and monitoring of this important program, received the award on behalf of the Foundation.